A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love. Singers (predominantly female) of the Pop Vocal tradition are referred to as "torch singers" when their repertoire consists predominantly of such material. Torch singing is more of a niche than a genre, and can stray from the traditional jazz-influenced style of singing. A modern example of a torch singer is British Rhythm and Blues chanteuse Sade Adu. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Love Look up love in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (commonly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market sector. ... Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Rhythm and blues (disambiguation). ... Chanson (French for song) refers to any song with French words, but more specifically classic, lyric-driven French songs, European songs in the cabaret style, or a diverse range of songs interpreted in this style. ... See also Sade (band). ...

The etymology comes from "Carrying a torch for him/her"; which means to long for a lost lover. A possible origin is that the singer sang in a sultry, jazzy way to bring out the sensual tones of the voice, thus resembling a smoldering torch. A burning torch, discarded on the road in the wake of the Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ...

Édith Piaf, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Georgia Gibbs, Dinah Shore, Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Olivor, Dora Gerson, Ethel Waters, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, among others, were renowned torch singers. Carrying the torch today are Morrissey, Ute Lemper, Diana Krall, Mariah Carey, Fiona Apple, Little Annie, Neko Case, Antony and the Johnsons, Patti LuPone, Laura Fygi, k.d. lang and Jeff Buckley, with his original composition "Lover, You Should've Come Over." Édith Piaf (December 19, 1915 – October 11, 1963)[1] was one of Frances most loved singers and a national icon. ... Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an Oscar-nominated American film actress, considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywoods Golden Era of musical film. ... Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. ... Julie London Julie London (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress who was known for her smoky, sensual voice and role as Nurse Dixie McCall RN on the television show Emergency! (1972–1977). ... Georgia Gibbs (August 17, 1919[1] - December 9, 2006) was an American singer, most popular in the 1950s. ... Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore February 29, 1916 - February 24, 1994) was an American singer and actress. ... Cover of Springfields 1969 album Dusty In Memphis. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s Marlene Dietrich (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born actress, entertainer and singer. ... Jane Olivor (born January 1, 1947) is a singer. ... Dora Gerson Dora Gerson (March 23, 1899 - February 14, 1943) was a Jewish German cabaret singer and motion picture actress of the silent film era who was notoriously murdered with her family at Auschwitz. ... Ethel Waters, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1938 Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an African American blues vocalist who frequently performed jazz, big band, gospel, and popular music, on Broadway and off. ... Nina Simone (February 21, 1933–April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. ... Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959), born Eleanora Fagan and later called Lady Day, was an American singer known equally for her difficult life and her emotive, poignant singing voice. ... Steven Patrick Morrissey (born May 22, 1959) is a singer and songwriter from Manchester, England. ... Ute Lemper (born July 4, 1963) is a German chanteuse and actress. ... Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Grammy award-winning Canadian jazz pianist and singer. ... Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is a American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director and actress. ... Fiona Apple Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. ... Little Annie Anxiety Bandez a. ... Neko Case (born September 8, 1970 in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and as a member of the New Pornographers. ... Antony and the Johnsons are an award-winning music act from New York City. ... Patti LuPone in her Tony Award winning role as Eva Perón in the Broadway musical Evita. ... Laura Fygi (27 August 1955 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch female singer. ... Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961), best known by the stage name k. ... Jeff Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), born Jeffrey Scott Buckley and raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. ...

Notes

http://www.mrlucky.com/songbirds/html/oct99/9910_torch.html

This article or section is missing citations and/or footnotes. This article or section may use words or ideas of other works in its text without citing sources. Using citations to support claims outside the realm of elementary knowledge helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. Please improve the article or discuss this issue on the talk page. Help on using footnotes is available. This article has been tagged since December 2006. Image File history File links Information_icon. ...

See also

• Cabaret
• Torch Song Trilogy was a 1982 three-part play (later filmed) by Harvey Fierstein about a torch song singing Jewish drag queen.
• Torch Song was also a 1980s synthpop band featuring William Orbit.
• Torch is also a single by Soft Cell